Bruce Sinofsky

Bruce Sinofsky (March 31, 1956 – February 21, 2015) was an American documentary film director, particularly known for his films the Paradise Lost trilogy, Brother's Keeper and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, all created with Joe Berlinger.

Early life and education

Sinofsky was born to a Jewish family[1] in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University in 1978.[2]

Career

Sinofsky began his career at Maysles Films. As Senior Editor at the company, he worked on commercials and feature films until 1991, when he and Joe Berlinger formed their own production company, Creative Thinking International. They jointly produced, edited and directed documentary films which have appeared on over 50 critics choice lists,[3] including Brother's Keeper (1992), the Paradise Lost trilogy (1996, 2004, 2011), Hollywood High (2003) and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004).

The first movie Sinofsky directed, in 1992, was the documentary Brother's Keeper,[4] which tells the story of Delbart Ward, an elderly man in Munnsville, New York, who was charged with second-degree murder following the death of his brother William. Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, in his review of the movie, called it "an extraordinary documentary about what happened next, as a town banded together to stop what folks saw as a miscarriage of justice."[5]

The Paradise Lost trilogy chronicles the inhabitants of a small southern town a year after a series of brutal murders, in a style similar to that of award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris.

Sinofsky and Berlinger's work used various styles, including a paean to cinéma vérité. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster covers the heavy metal band Metallica as they participate in group therapy before recording their first album in five years. The pair also made a documentary on the southern record label for blues and country western artists, Sun Records called Good Rockin' Tonight.

Death and tributes

Sinofsky died on February 21, 2015, at the age of 58, from diabetes-related complications.[6][7] The band Metallica paid tribute to him as a "courageous man with deep empathy and wisdom who wasn't afraid to dig deep to tell the story."[7] Berlinger wrote that Sinofsky's "humanity is on every frame of the films that he leaves behind."[7]

The 2016 film Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru[8] is dedicated to his memory.

The 2018 documentary May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers[9] is also dedicated to his memory.

Awards

Sinofsky won a Directors Guild of America Award and two Emmys,[10] one for the first film in the Paradise Lost trilogy, The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills.[11] He was nominated for an Academy Award for the third film in the trilogy, Purgatory, in 2011.[7]

See also

References
  1. Bloom, Nate (February 15, 2012). "Jewish Stars: Oscar time". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  2. "NYU Alumnus Mark Bridges Wins Oscar for Best Costume Design for "The Artist"". New York University. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
  3. Weber, Bruce (25 February 2015). "Bruce Sinofsky, Lauded Documentary Filmmaker, Dies at 58". The New York Times.
  4. "Brother's Keeper". IMDb.com. 9 September 1992. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  5. Ebert, Roger. "Brother's Keeper Movie Review (1993) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  6. Emanuella Grinberg (22 February 2015). "Director of 'Paradise Lost' trilogy dies". Cnn.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  7. The Independent: Bruce Sinofsky dead: Metallica and Paradise Lost documentary director dies aged 58 (accessed 23 February 2015)
  8. "Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru". IMDb.com. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  9. "May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers (2017)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  10. "Bruce Sinofsky, Oscar-Nominated Documentary Filmmaker, Dies at 58". 21 February 2015.
  11. LA Times: Bruce Sinofsky dies at 58; Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Latimes.com (accessed 23 February 2015)
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